1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates to a controller and associated method for controlling electrical power to a heating element.
2. Related Art
Some temperature control systems include a controller, a temperature sensor and a control element such as a resistive heater load. The controller accepts temperature information from the temperature sensor such as a thermocouple or resistance temperature detector (RTD) as input. The actual temperature is compared to a desired control temperature, or setpoint, and the controller provides an output signal to the control element.
In other temperature control systems, thermal feedback is either unavailable or unnecessary because the thermal characteristics of the system are known a priori. In such cases, the use of a closed-loop control system is unnecessary.